4/18/2016

'One can, however, identify four categories of militant activity at the moment. There are two main groups battling for pre-eminence: the veteran al-Qaida and the newcomers, the Islamic State or Daesh. There are various organisations affiliated to the former and loyal to the latter. Some are getting strong, some weaker, but most are proving remarkably tenacious. There are other groups that are entirely independent, though they may have some associative links with other militants, like the loathsome Boko Haram in Nigeria. And then there are the freelancers, the self-forming networks, the DIY terrorists who are increasingly responsible for violence on our streets. This picture is depressing, to say the least.'